Classic Rock News

Queen’s Brian May and ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons lend their musical talents to Friendlytown, the new album from Booker T and the MG’s guitarist Steve Cropper and his band The Midnight Hour.

May sings and plays guitar on the first single released from the record, “Too Much Stress,” which also features Gibbons on guitar.

Cropper notes, “It was heaven playing with those two.”

The album, the follow-up to Cropper & The Midnight Hour’s 2021 Grammy-nominated album, Fire It Up, also features a guest appearance by guitarist Tim Montana. 

“If your booty is not shaking in the first two bars of this album you’re already dead in a chair,” Cropper shares. “I feel so good about this batch of songs. They’re packed with radio hooks, and we have Billy Gibbons, Brian May, and Tim Montana playing on the album—it’s like guitar heaven.” 

Friendlytown, due out Aug. 23, is available for preorder now.

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While Taylor Swift seemingly attracted some shade recently from Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, she’s now gotten some major praise from a woman who’s opening for Foo Fighters this summer: Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer responsible for hits like “Back on the Chain Gang” and “I’ll Stand By You” wrote on Instagram, “I saw Taylor Swift (you may have heard of her) in concert the other day. Just shows you what a girl with a guitar can do.”

“Last time I loved a show that much was Aldous Harding,” Chrissie continued, referring to the female indie folk singer/songwriter from New Zealand. 

“So, if you haven’t already – go out there and get yourselves a guitar,” Chrissie concluded. “You’ll never be alone again as long as you have it by your side.”  

Apparently, Chrissie did more than just see Taylor onstage. There are photos of her leaving a restaurant in London where, according to the caption, she “dined with Taylor Swift” on June 11.

Starting in July, Chrissie and the Pretenders will open several stadium shows for Foo Fighters, in addition to doing their own headline shows. Incidentally, many fans believe Grohl’s comments about Taylor not playing live were just a joke.

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Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman is back with new music.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will release his ninth studio album, Drive My Car, on Aug. 9. It will be his first new album since 2015. 

The album features five songs written by Wyman, who notes, “It’s not something I do every day, but sometimes I just see a guitar in the corner of the room, pick it up to play around and then something clicks into place.”

It also features covers of songs from Bob Dylan, John Prine and Taj Mahal.

The rocker cites musician JJ Cale as a big inspiration for the sound of the record, noting “his laidback groove has always appealed to me.” He adds, “Friends I’ve played it to have said things like ‘it really sounds like you,’ and that makes me happy. I’ve never tried to be anyone else – I’m Bill, basically.”

And Wyman is giving fans their first preview of Drive My Car with the release of the album’s title track, which is now available on digital outlets.

Drive My Car will be released digitally, and on CD and vinyl. The CD and digital releases will feature two bonus tracks.

Here is the track list for Drive My Car:
“Thunder On The Mountain”
“Drive My Car”
“Bad News”
“Storm Warning”
“Light Rain”
“Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody”
“Rough Cut Diamond”
“Wings”
“Two Tone Car”
“Fools Gold”

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Music fans are getting a look at some intimate footage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in a brand new video for the new ultimate mix of “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry).” 

The video features never-before-seen home movies, shot by Lennon on a Sony Portapak camera and reel-to-reel recorder. It shows the pair at their apartment in the Dakota Building on New York’s Upper West Side.

The new mix of “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)” will be featured on the newly expanded Mind Games – Ultimate Collection, set to drop July 12. The collection was produced by Sean Ono Lennon, who oversaw the project, with the blessing of his mom, Yoko. It will include six different listening experiences, featuring unreleased outtakes, stripped down mixes, instrumentals, demos, rehearsals and even what’s described as “studio chatter.”

Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, June 27, 2002 …

One day before the start of The Who’s U.S. tour, bassist John “The Ox” Entwistle died of a cocaine-induced heart attack. He was found dead in his room at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas by the groupie and stripper he had spent the night with.

He was 57.

“The Ox has left the building—we’ve lost another great friend,” The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend shared in a tribute after Entwistle’s death. “Thanks for your support and love. Pete and Roger.”

The Who decided to go on with their tour and resumed their shows on July 1 with bassist Pino Palladino taking Entwistle’s place.

In addition to his time with The Who, Entwistle released several solo albums, which were the subject of a new box set, The Ox Box Set, released in May. A compilation of rarities, Rarities Oxhumed – Volume Two, is due out in August.

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Eddie Vedder has released a cover of The English Beat‘s song “Save It for Later,” recorded for the newly released third season of The Bear.

The FX on Hulu series, which is set in Chicago, has long featured music by Pearl Jam and Vedder. While Pearl Jam was formed in Seattle, Vedder has a close connection with the Windy City, having been born in nearby Evanston, Illinois. He’s famously a big Chicago Cubs fan, which is explored in the 2017 Pearl Jam concert film Let’s Play Two.

You can listen to the “Save It for Later” cover now via digital outlets.

The Bear season 3 premiered Wednesday night. Its first episode was scored by Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Disney is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News.

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Elton John has found yet another way to raise money for his AIDS Foundation: He’s selling stuff on eBay.

Specifically, Elton is selling pieces from his famous wardrobe as part of a 10-day shopping event called Rocket Man Resale. It features hundreds of items from his recently sold Atlanta apartment, including shirts, hats, pants and shoes by Gucci, Versace, and Prada, plus more affordable lots, like concert t-shirts and baseball caps. The auction is live now, and 100% of the proceeds go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 

“Giving new life to the cherished items from my wardrobe has always been special to me. For decades
I’ve donated my closet’s treasures to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation,” Elton says in a statement. “This Pride Month, I’m excited to share my Atlanta treasure trove on eBay, hoping these items will inspire you to express your unique spirit and bring you as much joy as they’ve brought me.”

“Whether you’re after high-end luxury or something more laid-back, there’s a perfect find for everyone,” he adds. “Even better, every dollar goes to supporting the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s work to end LGBTQ+ stigma.”

At 1:10 p.m. ET on the eBay app, Elton’s pal Stephen Sanchez and entrepreneur Emma Rogue will host a livestream shopping event featuring Elton and his husband David Furnish.

The shopping event will also feature items from Donatella Versace, Andy Cohen, Robin Roberts, Brandi Carlile and more. If you’re in New York City, there’s a pop-up featuring some of the items at 51 8th Avenue from 2 to 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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Neil Young and Crazy Horse have canceled the remaining dates on their Love Earth tour, due to illness. 

In a post on his Neil Young Archives site, Young describes the tour as “a great experience for us so far,” with “GREAT AUDIENCES AND MUSIC.”

He then reveals, “When a couple of us got sick after Detroit’s Pine Knob, we had to stop,” noting, “We are still not fully recovered so sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break.”

While Young didn’t specifically say how long that break would be, Ticketmaster lists his remaining dates in the U.S. and Canada as canceled, while the Bourbon & Beyond festival, which Young was to headline, reposted the statement from his website, and Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival now lists TBA in the Saturday headlining spot Young was originally scheduled for.

“We will try to play some of the dates we miss as time passes when we are ready to rock again,” the statement continues. “Thank you for your understanding and patience. Health is #1.”

Young and Crazy Horse kicked off the Love Earth tour on April 24 in San Diego, California.

Young was one of the last artists to return to touring following the COVID pandemic. He headlined a short West Coast tour in summer 2023, which was his first trek since 2019.

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Sammy Hagar is the subject of a new A&E Biography special debuting June 30, and he’s giving fans a sneak peek of what to expect.

The former Van Halen frontman shared a preview of the episode on Instagram, and in the clip he discusses where the idea came from to write his hit song “I Can’t Drive 55.” 

“Before I wrote the song I Can’t Drive 55, I had 34 speeding tickets and my license taken away three times and was paying $135,000 a year for insurance – and that was in 1984!” Hagar writes in the caption of the post. “Since I wrote that song and made that video I have gotten only two speeding tickets! It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”

In the preview, Hagar talks about being stopped at 2 a.m. on a deserted highway for driving 62 in a 55 mph zone. After being pulled over by the cop, he told his wife, “Man, I can’t drive 55, you know?”

“I swear it was like God struck me with lightning,” he shares. “I wrote the whole song like that night. And it was the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

“I Can’t Drive 55” was the lead single off Hagar’s album VOA and was a top-40 hit for the rocker. 

Sammy Hagar’s A&E Biography special will air Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.

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The late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott will be celebrated in New York City in July on what would have been his 78th birthday. 

The Bon Scott Estate has announced a tribute concert happening on the big day, July 9, at Arlene’s Grocery on the Lower East Side. Although no artists have been announced for the concert, it is expected to feature 16 singers performing classic AC/DC tracks with a backing band. 

Tickets are on sale now.

And that’s not the only way Bon’s 78th birthday is being marked. There will also be some new and unique merchandise fans can get their hands on, including two new and registered Bon Scott tartans that will be used for signature flannel shirts from Dixxon Flannel Company and made-to-order kilts, vests, pants and more from Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers.

Plus there will soon be new Bon Scott figurines from Knucklebonz and Super7, based on Bon’s look during AC/DC’s 1979 Highway to Hell tour.

More info on the Bon Scott birthday celebration can be found at bonscottofficial.com.

Scott was AC/DC’s frontman from 1974 until his death in 1980, appearing on the band’s first seven albums. He was replaced by Brian Johnson, who remains their frontman to this day.

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